Eglin Hospital volunteers make every stitch count

  • Published
  • By Sara Vidoni
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Every day Eglin Hospital bustles with newborn deliveries and recently-admitted patients. Among this hustle and bustle are several volunteers working tirelessly behind the scenes to make these patients' stays more soothing using just a thread and needle.

Spending the night in a hospital can be overwhelming and at times, difficult for patients. In hopes of alleviating some of these stressors, two Eglin Hospital employees established Operation Headrest.

Operation Headrest is an all-volunteer project that provides handmade pillowcases for patients in the hospital's Multi-Service Unit. To date, more than 49 pillowcases have been sewn and more than 20 personally delivered.

"We felt we needed to do something for the active duty, retired and dependent patients in our hospital," said Rickie Trahan, one of the founders of Operation Headrest and a registered dental hygienist at the 96th Dental Squadron. "There are programs like this around the country, and we knew it was important to honor our patients here."

Trahan along with Sara Sanchez, also of the 96th Dental Squadron, work with volunteers to sew pillowcases of varying fabric to meet the different patient's needs. They then wash and bag the pillowcases before they are delivered.

The most recent delivery of pillowcases to the MSU was May 29.

"When we deliver the pillowcases, we tell the patients we just want to share some joy, and let them know someone is thinking about them," said Trahan. "At the hospital, we talk about treating our patients with compassion, so this is our way of bringing that little bit of extra compassion to their day."

Trahan and Sanchez hope Operation Headrest continues to grow. Currently, they only make sporadic deliveries to the MSU, but in the future they hope to have enough pillowcases that every person admitted receives one.

"It is amazing watching someone pick out a pillowcase and see the smile on their face; that's why we do this," said the dental hygienist.

Meanwhile, over in Labor and Delivery, the Bundles for Babies program keeps all the Eglin newborns' heads warm and cozy upon entering this world.

Kaye Rogers, a volunteer out of Gainesville, has sent more than 500 knit baby hats to Eglin Hospital over the past year and a half. The hats arrive in various colors such as blue, pink or even camouflage.

"I work with a group called Lil' Troopers to make the knit hats," said Rogers. "Our motto is 'Taking care of those, who take care of us.' This is our way of saying thank you to those at Eglin who serve our country."

The small tokens of appreciation and comfort do not go unnoticed by those who provide care at Eglin Hospital day in and day out.

"We have a vision of being our patients' first choice for care," said Col. Gianna Zeh, the 96th Medical Group commander. "Small acts of kindness like the two programs above are examples of how to make a difference. I thank all the volunteers that contribute to Eglin's Hospital mission, they rock!"